Hepatic Uptake and Biliary Excretion of Indocyanine Green in the Dog.

Abstract

Intravenously administered indocyanine green is distributed initially in the plasma compartment. The material is rapidly removed from the plasma and ultimately an average of 97.3% of an administered dose is recovered, unaltered, in the bile, indicating that removal is almost exclusively hepatic. No dye appears in the urine. The delay in biliary excretion suggests that this dye is stored in liver cells prior to excretion. Indocyanine green interferes with hepatic uptake of sulfobromophthalein (BSP) from the plasma. The intestinal absorption of indocyanine green following administration into the duodenum is minimal.